The ‘Home from Home’ project aims to explore the legacies of pioneering British Nigerians in the UK and their impact on society. The project highlights and celebrates British Nigerian contributions to the cultural, political, educational, artistic, spiritual, and sporting life of Britain and London, in particular. In this interview we feature Chine McDonald; a writer, broadcaster and director of the religion and society think tank, Theos. She is the author of God Is Not a White Man: And Other Revelations (Hodder & Stoughton, 2021) and the upcoming Unmaking Mary: Shattering the Myth of Perfect Motherhood (Hodder & Stoughton, 2025). She is vice-chair of Greenbelt Festival, and a trustee of Christian Aid.
What does “Home From Home” mean to you?
Home from Home speaks to the reality for many Nigerian immigrants to the UK of finding home (rest, acceptance, belonging, security) in two places. With all the joys and challenges that come with that reality.
How do you celebrate your Nigerian heritage?
Family and food. I stay connected to my family around the world through various family Whatsapp groups, celebrating our achievements, birthdays, births and marking deaths. To me, this is what it means to be Igbo – to be part of a family of people who go through life together, even though they may not be physically in the same place, or even country. And food – for us as Nigerians – it is food that brings us together. Packed with intense flavour, our food is like we are – intense! Loud and proud.
What does being “British Nigerian” mean to you?
It means navigating the complicated path of finding heart and home in two places. I was born in Nigeria but moved to the UK when I was four years old, in the 1980s when many immigrants were expected to assimilate into Britishness. I spent much of my early life attempting to assimilate, denying my heritage. But it was after university that I realised that there was so much richness in my own culture that I had ignored. So I recaptured my love of my cultural history and heritage. But I do that recognising that I have spent most of my life in the UK. I am British. I feel like I am at home when I touch down in Nigeria; but I feel at home when I touch down at Heathrow, too. It is not possible to put people into clearly defined boxes, and not necessary to either.
How do you stay connected to your identity?
I ask questions of my parents and my wider family, about cultural and ethical issues, and get them to tell me stories about their upbringing, their own culture and the challenges they have been through, most notably the Biafran War.
What does culture mean to you?
In business parlance, I often hear it said that culture is ‘the way we doing things around here’. It’s the unsaid symbolic markers of behaviour, identity, ritual and relationship that constitute how a group of people act. Culture is about those things that people know us by.
What do you imagine the future of the British Nigerian Community to look like in the next few years based on your industry?
As director of the religion and society think tank Theos, I’m interested in the future make-up of religious belief in the UK. Many first and second generation Nigerian immigrants to the UK have been raised in Christianity or Islam, and some of our culture is shaped by those religious identities. What happens in the coming years – will religious belief among the British Nigerian community increase, or decline?
Links to website/Social Media: www.chinemcdonald.com Twitter: @ChineMcDonald Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChineMcDonaldAuthor
Add Comment